Christos Papakostas was born in Larisa, Greece, and is a distinguished scholar, folklorist, percussionist, and master teacher of Greek traditional dance. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Primary Education at the University of Ioannina, specializing in Folklore and Greek Traditional Dance, and also serves on the faculty of the Technological Institute of Epirus in the Department of Traditional Music.
He graduated from the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science at the Democritus University of Thrace, where he majored in Greek Traditional Dance, and went on to earn his Ph.D. with distinction from the Department of History, Archaeology, and Social Anthropology at the University of Thessaly.
His research focuses on the anthropology of dance, music, folklore, and identity. He is the author and editorial supervisor of the “Traditional Greek Dance” chapter in the Physical Education textbook published by the Greek Ministry of Education. In 2019, he co-edited the collective volume “Dancing Cultures: Globalization, Tourism and Identity” in the Anthropology of Dance with Nikos Poulakis. He has also authored and contributed to numerous publications in Greek and international academic journals.
Beyond academia, Christos has collaborated with numerous cultural associations throughout Greece and has taught internationally in Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. He has also served as a judge at the Folk Dance Festival (FDF) and has been an instructor at Klironomia conferences.
Through his teaching, research, and artistic work, Christos continues to inspire dancers, scholars, and cultural enthusiasts, serving as a bridge between tradition and contemporary scholarship in the field of Greek folk dance.